Chelsea Hotel

The Chelsea Hotel sits in central Dar es Salaam, with views of Uhuru Street and the city skyline. Its sixty-five rooms range from standard doubles to two-bedroom apartments, all with air conditioning, safes, TVs, and private bathrooms. Some rooms add balconies, mini fridges, or kitchenettes; the queen suite has two bathrooms and a living area.

The in-house restaurant serves Tanzanian and fusion dishes — from samosas and biryani to grilled club sandwiches and fish curry — with a breakfast buffet until ten in the morning. The rooftop deck looks out over the city, and the hotel offers airport transfers, laundry, and room service.

What holds the place together is its location. The hotel sits on Uhuru Street, close to Lumumba Street, in the heart of Dar es Salaam. Rooms look out over the city, and the rooftop deck frames the skyline. The hotel opened in the mid-twentieth century and has been serving travellers to Dar es Salaam ever since.